Every January the interior design world is buzzing with chat about what the big trends will be for the coming year. But the truth is that trends develop pretty slowly when it comes to decorating our home. Refreshing your living room isn’t as easy as buying a new coat or getting a new haircut, we need our interiors to last. Hence the slow burn of trends that make their way into our homes. So year on year we see much of the same with a subtle lean towards new directions rather than a complete revolution. Having said that, every now and then the likes of pineapples and flamingos come out of nowhere.
But what about this year? Has the ‘C’ word shaken up the world of interiors? What interior design trends can we expect from 2021?
Here’s my take on what will be hot this year. In random order.
#1 Reeded glass
For years now we have been bombarded with the open shelf look in kitchens. Pinterest and Instagram overfloweth with inspiring images of perfectly curated crockery on beautifully painted shelves. It’s hard not to have loved the look, even if you never actually bought into it. Because, let’s face it, a lot of you hate the idea of dust and the thought of your chipped mugs being on display. But now there is a new trend in town.
Open shelves are moving over to make way for the reeded glass cabinet. See what I mean about trends slowly evolving? Reeded glass is the perfect marriage between practicality and aesthetics. It has the open feel but is obscured enough so you can have some ugly items in there without offending anyone. And being reeded (which is vertically ribbed glass) it feels more cool and edgy rather than clear glass which can feel a bit ‘Nana’s glass display cabinet’.
Image via the oh so talented, award winning @studio_late_ image credit @mareehomer.photograhy.
#2 Curves
Top chiefs fo the industry have been talking about curves for the last few years, particularly in furniture. Yes we will all be buying curved sofas in the next few years. So whilst that trend may take time to slowly trickle through, it’s flooding through in the accessory market. Accessories will always catch onto trends quicker than furniture because they are cheap and quick to produce and buy! So if you ever do want to get on board with a trend accessories are a great way to do it. Curved vase anyone? You can’t move for these on Instagram right now.
Image via the awesome Alice @style.less.home
#3 Grounding colours
This is the year more than ever where we want to feel still and grounded, with all the shit that’s going on around us. So why not use a paint colour to bring a sense of calm and rebalance your equilibrium. Dulux announced Brave Ground as their colour of the year (you can read al about it here). And now Little Greene are launching their ‘Stone’ collection which I’m particularly excited about. It looks so elegant and soothing. I’m already planning on where to use it in my own Home. I think I may go for the bathroom.
Brave Ground the colour of the the year by Dulux.
#4 A shift away from dark?
I’ve seen anecdotal evidence of this already this year on Instagram. People making the big move from dark, inky colours to a palette of neutrals. And I must admit, since I painted my floors white a few years ago I’ve been seduced more and more by pale interiors. The thing with whites and neutrals is that you really have to know what you’re doing to get it right. You need lots of varying tones of the same colour and loads and loads of layered, natural textures to keep it looking cosy. Pair your white walls with wooden or rattan furniture and layer the textiles like rugs and cushions and you’ll nail it.
#5 Homely kitchens
Kate from Mad about the house has been preaching this for years. She know’s her shit and you call really see it happening now. The thing with kitchens is we now pretty much live in them all day, every day. They aren’t really kitchens any more they are ‘living’ rooms so they should look like it. You may need an oven and a fridge and a sink, but you also need a rug, artwork and lamps. And that’s the truth!
The gorgeous Suffolk Kitchen by Neptune, with all the homely touches.
#6 Multi functional furniture
Of course, this is where the ‘C’ word has probably had it’s biggest impact on interior design. We need work desks in our bedrooms, school desks in our sitting rooms, home gyms in our garages and office storage in our kitchens. Our homes and rooms have to multi task more than ever before so you need to really get your spacial planning, storage and furniture spot on to meet these new demands. This is where compact and multifunctional furniture has really come into it’s own.
Click here to check this example out on Instagram #mindblown.
#7 The new feature wall
We saw a lot of this at the backend of last year. And you couldn’t move in B&Q for people purchasing MDF strips to nail to their walls. The single painted or wallpapered wall of the 1990s we came to know as ‘the feature wall’ has now been revived by a textured feature wall. And what a come back. It’s creating a more three dimensional look than the 1990s version. And it’s a big win for bringing warmth and texture to ` a neutral scheme. It is a beautiful look and it’s got extra appeal as it’s relatively cheap and is a weekend DIY project. I think it’s a particularly strong look in new builds to add more character, I’d be a little more cautious when it comes to adding it in period homes though.
The most popular wall on insta courtesy of @thenoviceblog
#8 Outdoor space
And finally, no matter how tiny, we are all currently obsessed with making the most of any outdoor space we have. Even if it’s just a windowsill. And rightly so, the garden/balcony/terrace is an extension of our homes so the more beautiful, practical and useable the space is the more we will get out of it. Even if it’s just looking at how pretty it is through the window on a rainy day.
So what do you think? Would you be pleased to invite these 2021 interior design trends into your home this year? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
And if you have some design projects you would like help with then give me a shout. I offer my services across Southampton and Hampshire and would love to help you.
Sarah x
